The moment I turned on the computer, notifications filled half the screen.
The first piece of news was about Wang Mengyao; it was actually about Wang Mengyao...
Wang Mengyao: [Remember to have Ying Qian review; the exam in a couple of days is very important.]
He replied with "Okay".
He exited the chat window and began to regret not having brought his computer, which prevented him from handling his work. Although his boss told him to transfer the case to other colleagues, he stubbornly kept it in his hands.
He browsed the news for a while.
Ying Qian slowly woke up, rested her chin on her hand, and stared at him: "I'm so tired."
Her hair was messy, her crotch area was oily, her face was covered in pimples and closed comedones, and her big eyes were squinted into slits, making her look rather unattractive.
In a single sentence, just three words, Meng Beiyan transferred 300 yuan to her.
Ying Qian's eyes widened. She accepted the red envelope, rushed over, hugged his neck, nuzzled against his neck a few times, and said sweetly, "Thank you, brother—"
"...Sigh..." He chuckled, "You're pressing on my hand, it's about to start bleeding again..."
"Oh!" She realized what was happening and stared blankly at the unexpected windfall on her phone.
Ying Qian didn't bring any books with her to Qin Cheng this time, so Meng Beiyan found a few documents and forwarded them to her.
She looked closely.
[High School Trigonometric Function Examples]
[Classic Examples of High School Physics Problems]
[Essential Classical Poems for High School Students]
...
“Take a look,” he said.
"Huh?" Ying Qian thought she could finally get a few days off, but she didn't expect this. "Can we not watch it?"
"There will be an exam when you get back." He said the most terrifying thing with a smile.
During his student days, he was quite afraid of exams, but he gradually got used to them by his senior year of high school.
For Ying Qian, who had been forced to do several test papers every day since the beginning of junior high school, it was nothing.
Ying Qian already knew there would be an exam, so she opened several files and glanced at them.
The content turned out to be pretty good.
Where did you get this from?
"Guess."
He kept her in suspense, so Ying Qian didn't ask any more questions. She put down her phone and went to the bathroom to wash her face.
There's no toothpaste or toothbrush here, does that mean I shouldn't brush my teeth? She reached into her pocket and found some money.
She rushed out to the convenience store next to the hospital to buy mouthwash.
Meng Beiyan was casually scrolling through his phone when he happened to glance at the screen and saw a message from someone whose contact name was "Prince": Princess, are you awake yet?
He unlocked Ying Qian's phone with great interest, opened the chat window, and replied: "I'm up QAQ"
Prince: [Princess, come back quickly, or I'll fill out the arts/science track selection form for you.]
Meng Beiyan tightened his grip, staring at the screen, his mind in turmoil for a moment, before scrolling up the chat history.
He knew who the person behind the "prince" nickname was, and it was precisely because he knew that he wanted to find out how far the prince and princess's relationship had progressed.
He had no intention of doing so.
Yet I still couldn't control the restlessness in my heart.
The princess and prince's chat history is very monotonous, consisting mostly of "good morning" and "good night" messages, as well as many voice calls or screen sharing sessions that last for several hours.
The more he scrolled through his chat history, the more uneasy he felt; the cleaner his chat history became, the more panicked he became.
He couldn't believe that nothing had happened between them.
Not long after, Ying Qian came running back, drenched in sweat, carrying a bag in her hand.
"Mouthwash, and some food."
Meng Beiyan rubbed his temples, pretending nothing had happened, and nodded.
After the water was drained, I went back to the hotel to pack my things.
"Thank you for your help last night." He coughed a few times and then said, "It's good to have you here."
Ying Qian was busy packing her things and only responded with a simple, "It's what I should do."
After all, Meng Beiyan had taken care of her personally when she was sick before, so this was just returning the favor.
The flight is at 2 PM.
Meng Beiyan took her to a place, in a maze of alleyways.
This small county town doesn't have many tall buildings; most of the houses are single-story. The tall buildings are concentrated in the city center, while other places are filled with all sorts of old houses and narrow alleyways...
The peeling paint on the wall is already peeling off.
Ying Qian had walked through many alleys and was completely bewildered. She clung tightly to Meng Beiyan's hand, as if afraid he would lose her. "Why does every entrance look the same..."
Meng Beiyan slowly tightened his grip, trying to give her a sense of security.
No, their hands were both ice-cold.
The wind in the alley was always more biting than on the flat road. Meng Beiyan was a patient, and Ying Qian felt sorry for him instead, "Why don't you put on some clothes? You're not feeling well to begin with..."
"Feeling sorry for me?" His gaze was intense as he looked down from above.
Ying Qian blinked, her grip tightening even more. "Yes, I feel sorry for you."
The instant she finished speaking, she added, as if to say something completely unnecessarily, "It's only right that a younger sister cares for her older brother..."
Her voice was extremely weak. She raised her eyelids slightly, pursed her lips, and said nothing more: "..."
How could Meng Beiyan not understand what she meant? His joyful mood was tinged with a touch of melancholy, and the warmth in his palms suddenly seemed less real.
Noticing her unease, he said, "Yes, that's how it should be."
This is undoubtedly a reassurance.
The short journey ended at a small reading room where the clerk was dozing off at the front desk. He quickly perked up when someone came in.
"Do you two need any help?"
"No need, I'll just read a book," Meng Beiyan said.
The shop assistant fell silent. After the two went inside, she quietly took a picture of their backs and posted it on her WeChat Moments.
Caption: It must be love (heart hearts)
Meng Beiyan led her into the inner room, where the walls were covered with calligraphy works.
Ying Qian immediately spotted a piece among the dazzling array of works, one signed "Written by Meng Beiyan."
"When was this?" Ying Qian touched the dried-out writing in front of her.
"When you were in elementary school."
"Where did the money come from?" she suddenly asked.
Meng Beiyan nodded. "Mm."
At that time, Meng Beiyan tried many ways to make money. In order to buy Ying Qian the extracurricular books she wanted to read or the things she wanted to eat, her mother was always strict. Those things were like rare treasures to her.
She had to admit that she was very grateful to this older brother when she was a child, as he left a unique mark on her otherwise mundane and repressive life.
Meng Beiyan picked up a book from the literature shelf.
Ying Qian recognized the book, *The Little Prince*. She took the book with a puzzled look, "This...isn't..."
"Yes, the one your dad threw away in a fit of madness."
Ying Qian's nose immediately stung with tears. She turned the pages of the book, and there was still a maple leaf from her first year of junior high school tucked inside. Over the years, and through the hands of countless strangers, this red leaf remained unchanged, just like a memory etched in a diary.
She took out the maple leaf and placed it on her left eye. "Did you make all of this?"
“Hmm,” Meng Beiyan said, “I know you like this book very much, but I didn’t dare to return it to you so easily, so I left it in this reading room.”
"I never expected to still be here." His tone was a mix of surprise and relief, as he left his memories here.
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